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Paul Ruddy | From Emmy Winner to Vertical Casting: The Vertical Buzz S2E6
Welcome to The Vertical Buzz, where vertical entertainment finds its voice. This week, host Buzz Leer sits down with Emmy Award-winning casting director Paul Ruddy, one of the most influential casting voices in the vertical space today.
Paul is currently casting at DramaBox and has worked across more than 250 film, television, digital, and vertical projects for platforms including Netflix, Disney, Hallmark, Lifetime, Fox, Paramount Plus, Peacock, ReelShort, Pocket FM, and DramaBox. In this episode, Buzz and Paul break down how vertical casting actually works, why the space is growing so fast, and what actors need to understand if they want to stand out.
They talk about Paul’s early agency days at Abrams Artists and The Gersh Agency, the cake trivia moment that unexpectedly pushed him toward casting, his Emmy win for EastSiders, and how the pandemic changed the casting process forever. Then they go deep on verticals: how actors are being discovered, why the first 20 seconds of an audition matter, how agents are finally embracing the space, and why vertical is becoming a legitimate new lane of entertainment.
This episode also introduces VertiCast, our new industry sponsor for the Rapid Fire segment. VertiCast is built specifically for the fast-moving world of vertical casting, helping actors create profiles, upload clips, and get discovered by casting directors and producers.
In this episode, you will learn:
• How Paul Ruddy went from law school to talent agencies to casting
• What working at Abrams Artists and The Gersh Agency taught him about actors
• The unexpected cake trivia story that pushed Paul toward casting
• How Paul won an Emmy for EastSiders and found out in his kitchen during the pandemic
• Why self-tapes are not going away and why actors need to master them
• How Paul first discovered verticals through Pocket FM
• Why verticals remind Paul of early Hallmark and classic soap opera evolution
• What casting directors look for in the first 20 seconds of an audition
• Why preparation, strong choices, and knowing the script matter more than perfection
• How casting volume works when companies are making 10 to 20 verticals a month
• Why agents and managers are now building vertical divisions
• How unknown actors can still break through if the audition is strong
• Why every audition matters, even if you do not book the role
Chapters
00:00 Welcome to Vertical Buzz
01:23 Meet Paul Ruddy
03:42 Vertical Growth Talk
04:31 VertiCast Sponsor Intro
06:00 Agency Roots and Leap
13:18 Cake Trivia to Casting
15:41 Speed and Craft at Scale
18:23 Emmy Win Story
23:29 Pandemic Changed Casting
31:46 Finding Verticals and Stars
37:06 Vertical Goes Legit
38:36 Soap Opera Evolution
40:07 Audition Process Today
40:29 Hook Them Fast
43:12 Casting Volume Reality
44:08 Finding Actors Properly
46:10 Agents Embrace Verticals
51:08 Rapid Fire Casting
01:00:54 Fan Questions Deep Dive
01:10:34 Wrap Up And Where To Find
Sponsor: AEIRO (Arrow Air Purifiers)
AEIRO Air Purifiers help identify, reduce, and monitor airborne contaminants to create a cleaner indoor environment for homes and professional spaces.
Featured in this episode: AEIRO AC150, powerful enough to clean rooms 300+ sq ft, quiet enough for production, with smart sensor controls and true HEPA plus carbon filtration.
Website: AEIRO.co
Rapid Fire Sponsor: VertiCast
VertiCast is a casting app built for the speed of vertical storytelling. Actors can create profiles, upload clips, showcase social links, and make it easier for casting directors and producers to discover them quickly.
Website: VertiCastApp.com
Instagram: @verticastapp
Guest: Paul Ruddy
Paul Ruddy is an Emmy Award-winning casting director currently serving as a casting director at DramaBox. With more than 250 film, television, digital, and vertical projects to his credit, Paul’s work spans Netflix, Disney, Hallmark, Lifetime, Fox, Paramount Plus, Peacock, ReelShort, Pocket FM, and DramaBox. He began his career at leading talent agencies including Abrams Artists and The Gersh Agency before moving into casting across film, television, theater, and new media. Paul received a 2020 Emmy Award for his work on the Netflix series EastSiders and has become one of the key casting voices helping define the vertical drama space.
Instagram: @paulruddycasting
Host: Buzz Leer
Buzz Leer is an actor, host, and veteran of the vertical film space.
Instagram: @buzz_leer
A Glendale Podcast Studio Production
Owned and operated by Erika and Jason Hanan
Instagram: @glendalepodcaststudio
Social Media Coordinator: Ana Karina Cano
Instagram: @anakarinacano
Theme Song by Grace Leer and Bryan Dawley
The Vertical Buzz Theme Song
Public Relations and Media: Robb Leer
Leer Communications, Inc.
Thank you
Special thanks to all of my support team, friends, and family.
Host, Buzz Leer
View all episodes
By verticalbuzzdistroWelcome to The Vertical Buzz, where vertical entertainment finds its voice. This week, host Buzz Leer sits down with Emmy Award-winning casting director Paul Ruddy, one of the most influential casting voices in the vertical space today.
Paul is currently casting at DramaBox and has worked across more than 250 film, television, digital, and vertical projects for platforms including Netflix, Disney, Hallmark, Lifetime, Fox, Paramount Plus, Peacock, ReelShort, Pocket FM, and DramaBox. In this episode, Buzz and Paul break down how vertical casting actually works, why the space is growing so fast, and what actors need to understand if they want to stand out.
They talk about Paul’s early agency days at Abrams Artists and The Gersh Agency, the cake trivia moment that unexpectedly pushed him toward casting, his Emmy win for EastSiders, and how the pandemic changed the casting process forever. Then they go deep on verticals: how actors are being discovered, why the first 20 seconds of an audition matter, how agents are finally embracing the space, and why vertical is becoming a legitimate new lane of entertainment.
This episode also introduces VertiCast, our new industry sponsor for the Rapid Fire segment. VertiCast is built specifically for the fast-moving world of vertical casting, helping actors create profiles, upload clips, and get discovered by casting directors and producers.
In this episode, you will learn:
• How Paul Ruddy went from law school to talent agencies to casting
• What working at Abrams Artists and The Gersh Agency taught him about actors
• The unexpected cake trivia story that pushed Paul toward casting
• How Paul won an Emmy for EastSiders and found out in his kitchen during the pandemic
• Why self-tapes are not going away and why actors need to master them
• How Paul first discovered verticals through Pocket FM
• Why verticals remind Paul of early Hallmark and classic soap opera evolution
• What casting directors look for in the first 20 seconds of an audition
• Why preparation, strong choices, and knowing the script matter more than perfection
• How casting volume works when companies are making 10 to 20 verticals a month
• Why agents and managers are now building vertical divisions
• How unknown actors can still break through if the audition is strong
• Why every audition matters, even if you do not book the role
Chapters
00:00 Welcome to Vertical Buzz
01:23 Meet Paul Ruddy
03:42 Vertical Growth Talk
04:31 VertiCast Sponsor Intro
06:00 Agency Roots and Leap
13:18 Cake Trivia to Casting
15:41 Speed and Craft at Scale
18:23 Emmy Win Story
23:29 Pandemic Changed Casting
31:46 Finding Verticals and Stars
37:06 Vertical Goes Legit
38:36 Soap Opera Evolution
40:07 Audition Process Today
40:29 Hook Them Fast
43:12 Casting Volume Reality
44:08 Finding Actors Properly
46:10 Agents Embrace Verticals
51:08 Rapid Fire Casting
01:00:54 Fan Questions Deep Dive
01:10:34 Wrap Up And Where To Find
Sponsor: AEIRO (Arrow Air Purifiers)
AEIRO Air Purifiers help identify, reduce, and monitor airborne contaminants to create a cleaner indoor environment for homes and professional spaces.
Featured in this episode: AEIRO AC150, powerful enough to clean rooms 300+ sq ft, quiet enough for production, with smart sensor controls and true HEPA plus carbon filtration.
Website: AEIRO.co
Rapid Fire Sponsor: VertiCast
VertiCast is a casting app built for the speed of vertical storytelling. Actors can create profiles, upload clips, showcase social links, and make it easier for casting directors and producers to discover them quickly.
Website: VertiCastApp.com
Instagram: @verticastapp
Guest: Paul Ruddy
Paul Ruddy is an Emmy Award-winning casting director currently serving as a casting director at DramaBox. With more than 250 film, television, digital, and vertical projects to his credit, Paul’s work spans Netflix, Disney, Hallmark, Lifetime, Fox, Paramount Plus, Peacock, ReelShort, Pocket FM, and DramaBox. He began his career at leading talent agencies including Abrams Artists and The Gersh Agency before moving into casting across film, television, theater, and new media. Paul received a 2020 Emmy Award for his work on the Netflix series EastSiders and has become one of the key casting voices helping define the vertical drama space.
Instagram: @paulruddycasting
Host: Buzz Leer
Buzz Leer is an actor, host, and veteran of the vertical film space.
Instagram: @buzz_leer
A Glendale Podcast Studio Production
Owned and operated by Erika and Jason Hanan
Instagram: @glendalepodcaststudio
Social Media Coordinator: Ana Karina Cano
Instagram: @anakarinacano
Theme Song by Grace Leer and Bryan Dawley
The Vertical Buzz Theme Song
Public Relations and Media: Robb Leer
Leer Communications, Inc.
Thank you
Special thanks to all of my support team, friends, and family.
Host, Buzz Leer